The 2004 All-Star Game was held at Minute Maid Park in Houston and, even by midsummer classic standards, it had plenty of sparkle.

Native son Roger Clemens, representing the hometown Astros, was the starting pitcher for the National League. The Marlins’ Jack McKeon was the oldest manager ever to run an All-Star team from the bench. Muhammad Ali threw out the first pitch.
None of that, however, got more attention than the fact that American League manager Joe Torre packed his team with eight of his own players. Three Yankees were voted starters: Jason Giambi at first base, Derek Jeter at shortstop and Alex Rodriguez at third. Then Torre, exercising his right to fill out the roster, selected four more players from his own team: outfielder Gary Sheffield plus pitchers Mariano Rivera, Javier Vazquez and Tom Gordon. Fans voted Hideki Matsui into the last AL roster spot with an Internet vote.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will be responsible for rounding out the National League roster for this year’s game, a week from next Tuesday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. That’s one of the duties attached to having taken your team to the World Series the previous October. The squads will be announced during a TBS special Sunday afternoon.
Don’t expect Manuel to lard his bench and bullpen with Phillies, though.
For one thing, although the Phillies are in first place, they frankly don’t have nearly that many players who deserve consideration.
Second, while Manuel understands that he has to live with his own players, look them in the eye after the selections are revealed, he insists he’s going to take the players he believes can best help the NL win.
“I want to make sure as much as possible that we pick the players who deserve to be there,” he said recently. “The players who are having the big years that the national audience wants to see. We want to be as fair as possible and we want to try to get the right people on the team.”
Finally, and most important, Manuel will have far less wiggle room to play favorites than Torre did just 5 years ago. The system MLB uses has been changed and the net result is that the manager has much less latitude than he used to.
The biggest difference is the additional ballot of the players, coaches and managers that was conducted last weekend. Those votes will determine an additional 16 spots: eight backup position players, five starting pitchers and three relief pitchers.
The results were collected Tuesday and counted by the accounting firm Ernst & Young.
Then there’s also an online vote that picks the 33rd and final spot on each league’s roster.
That leaves just eight openings — five pitchers and three position players — left to the manager’s discretion now that MLB has expanded the rosters to give each team an additional pitcher.
Not so fast. Even at that point, the manager doesn’t have carte blanche. He still has to make sure that every team in his league is represented and that he has adequate backups at every position.
The biggest conundrum for Manuel could be at first base. Ryan Howard was second in this week’s voting behind the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. If he finishes first or second in the players’ vote, he’s on the team. If he doesn’t, then Manuel could have a dilemma. Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is having an excellent year and could well be San Diego’s most deserving representative. At that point, the Phillies’ manager could have to decide whether to omit Howard, who has made it clear he’d love to participate in the All-Star Game in his hometown, or carry three first basemen.
Asked generally about the chance that he might have to choose between a Phillies player or one from another team, he conceded that could give him pause.
“I think about that. And that’s a tough decision. You definitely want to be fair to your guy, because to me my guy counts more than anybody. And I’m sure every manager in baseball feels that way. That’s the tough part about it. And you know what? That’s going to happen,” he said with a laugh.
Manuel has been in regular contact with Katy Feeney, who handles scheduling and club relations, in the days leading up to the final decisions. They will speak again on Saturday night to finalize the rosters and then once more on Sunday morning to make sure nothing has changed.
Manuel said he also will take into account that, since the game will be played in an NL park, the designated hitter will not be used.
“We’re definitely going to be making moves and they start sometimes after the pitcher pitches one inning,” he said. “Usually you try to get as many people into the game as possible. But, at the same time, you want to win the game. I think for us to win the game and get the homefield advantage for the World Series, that’s a big part of the All-Star Game, too.
“To be elected to the All-Star Game is definitely an honor. Everyone there is very deserving of it. But I also think that to win it is even more. That shows that you can have all the fun in the world and it’s a relaxing time. It’s a time to have fun and meet a lot of people and be with your family for a while. At the same time, if you win the game, that’s the ultimate thing. And also it’s good for the league.”
One more thing. Manuel will be managing his first All-Star team. He stressed that he’ll rely heavily on the advice of his coaches, who have managed a total of 11 between them. They would be Tony LaRussa...and Joe Torre.